A few standouts in the 2013 television pilot season!

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, the most wonderful time of the year has come again. No, I’m not talking about Christmas, either.

I’m talking about pilot season!

Networks are releasing titles and cast listings for their television pick ups left and right. Medical mayhem, cop-filled chaos and single-camera comedies abound in the released previews of what is to come for 2013, and I’m here to give you a clue as to what new shows I’m excited to check out this fall.

ABC

After originally getting booted from the CBS comedy pilot lineup, ABC reworked this single-camera comedy about three nerdy female friends Kimmie, played by Pitch Perfect standout Rebel Wilson, Helen-Alice (Liza Lapira) and Marika (Lauren Ash) on their quest to have “super fun” every Friday night.

Even with so little plot information available about Super Fun Night, ABC will have a viewer in me based on Wilson alone. The blonde, comedic powerhouse has the ability to capture the attention of any audience with her impeccable timing as an actress and I’m excited to see what she brings to the table as a writer as well. John Riggi, the showrunner and executive producer of Super Fun Night, will make his pilot-directing debut when the show releases later this year.

Omar Epps (Image Credit: FOX)

The Returned

Based on a novel by Jason Mott, The Returned asks us what would happen if the people we buried suddenly showed up on your doorstep? The citizens of Arcadia must answer that question when their loved ones begin to return from the grave, forever changing their outlook on the world. House alum Omar Epps is returning to television screens as Immigration Agent Martin Bellamy whose job is to figure out the identity of a mysterious kid who is supposed to be dead. Other cast members include Kurtwood Smith (That ’70s Show), Samaire Armstrong (The Mentalist), and Devin Kelley (Covert Affairs).

As a sucker for anything out of the ordinary, I’m excited to see ABC’s take on what appears to be a new zombie storyline. Already running off the success of Once Upon A Time, I think it’s safe to say that The Returned has a good chance at making a lasting impression with audience members already tuned in for a little bit of weird.

NBC

Michiel Huisman (Image Credit: HBO)

The Sixth Gun

NBC is heading out west with its pilot order of The Sixth Gun, based off the best-selling Oni Press graphic novel of the same name. The story follows the tale of six mythical guns, each with its own incredible powers. When the most powerful and dangerous Sixth Gun manages to find its way into the hands of a young girl, Becky Montcrief (Ruins star Laura Ramsey), her life is threatened by evil men thought long dead. Drake Sinclair (Nashville‘s Michiel Huisman), a gunslinger, is the only thing standing in their way.

Aldis Hodge (Image Credit: TNT)

I’m going to be shallow for a moment and say that the part I’m most excited for in this pilot is the appearance of Leverage alum Aldis Hodge, who is set to play Agent Mercer, a PI in search of the missing guns. I’ve missed Hodge and his smile since the TNT drama ended in December, so I’m eagerly awaiting his television return.

I also think it’s high-time that NBC took another stab at the supernatural fever that has taken over Hollywood in recent years.

FOX

Two successful guys in their 30s have their lives turned upside down when their nightmare dads move in with them. Tommy Dewey (The Mindy Project), Peter Riegert (The Good Wife) and Brenda Song (Scandal, New Girl) are all set to star.

It seems like a pretty standard script for a FOX comedy, but I’m interested in seeing what FOX can bring to the table considering its recent success with shows like New Girland The Mindy Project. Plus, Dadsis bound to garner a little attention with its pilot episode if not for the fact that everyone is a little bit curious to see just how crazy these fathers really can be.

Emma Roberts (Image Credit: Fox Searchlight)

Delirium

Fox is bring to life a world where falling in love is illegal with its pilot Delirium, based on the best-selling YA trilogy by Lauren Oliver. In this dystopian world, love can be eradicated with a special procedure dubbed “The Cure.” With 95 days to go until her scheduled treatment, Lena Holoway (played by Emma Roberts) does the unthinkable and falls in love. Her object of affection? The police officer Alex (Secret Life of the American Teenager‘s Daren Kagasoff).

Daren Kagasoff (Image Credit: ABC Family)

Because I haven’t read any of the novels, I’m going into this series blind. But that makes it more exciting in a way, because I don’t have any preconceived ideas about what Lena and Alex are supposed to be like, or what the Delirium world should house. But I’m also looking forward to the reactions of fans who have fallen in love with Oliver’s written word before the television series was announced, and whether they’ll take a liking to the Fox adaptation.

CBS

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Image Credit: The CW)

The Crazy Ones

Be still my beating heart! Sarah Michelle Gellar (Ringer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and comedy legend Robin Williams are teaming up in The Crazy Ones, a single-camera comedy about a father-daughter team who run an advertising agency. If the show gets picked up as a series, it will be Williams’ first television series since Mork & Mindy ended in 1982.

Do I even need to explain why I think this is a good idea? Okay, I will.

Robin Williams. Sarah Michelle Gellar. Together.

The CW

Henry Ian Cusick (Image Credit: ABC)

The 100

Based on the upcoming book series by Kass Morgan, The 100 begins 97 years after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization. A spaceship carrying the lone human survivors sends 100 juvenile delinquents back to earth to explore the possibility of recolonizing the planet, among them being Monty (Christopher Larkin) and Clarke (Eliza Taylor). Also among the cast areLost‘s Henry Ian Cusick, Isaiah Washington and Paige Turco.

The CW has been known to stick with genre shows, aimed at teens who are into the supernatural/sci-fi side of life in their entertainment choices. I think adding The 100 was a good choice for the network, considering the huge amount of success in The Hunger Games franchise which thrusts young characters into live-or-die situations, much the same as this dystopian world will seem to do for its juveniles.

Featured Writers

Kali O'RourkeKali usually ends up watching movies and TV shows when she should be writing, which means she can and will beat you at any pop culture trivia game. When not found reading or wishing it was Halloween, she dreams about one day creating a TV show that ruins people’s lives (in a good way).

Mallory WalkerI spend too much time reading and watching TV. The phrase "What is the meaning of this?!" always cracks me up. Puppies, Diet Coke and the '90s make me happy. I mean really, who doesn't love the days of Marky Mark?